22 upvotes, 3 direct replies (showing 3)
Sounds like sleep paralysis. I have frequent nightmares and these assholes visit me all the time. Essentially you’re half awake, half asleep, and the shadowy demon people (for me anyway) imprint themselves on the real portion of your perception, while they exist in the nightmare portion.
It sucks, and I only experience it a few times per month. I really, really feel for anyone with schizophrenia.
Edit: forgot to mention they’re always accompanied by a feeling of horrible evil which leads to sheer terror. I’ve really only felt what real evil feels like in these nightmares. Then I try to scream and I’m stuck there, immobile, I.e. the paralysis.
Thanks brain
Comment by revcor at 05/02/2025 at 03:04 UTC
3 upvotes, 3 direct replies
I believe you are referring to night terrors. "Vanilla" sleep paralysis doesn't necessarily have the evil presence factor, but night terrors are defined by it.
I get sleep paralysis sometimes (used to happen a lot more in teens and 20s, it's calmed down a bunch), and I'm typically aware of my surrounding but moving or vocalizing feels impossible. There is some terror in a sense, but it's just from feeling trapped and unable to move, not from any evil presence
Comment by GarbageCleric at 05/02/2025 at 02:04 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Get a sleep study. You may have apnea. I used to regularly have sleep paralysis, but I've never had it while using my CPAP.
Comment by Fuck0254 at 05/02/2025 at 10:23 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The overwhelming fear for me also isnt even tied to nightmares/hallucinations, but the sleep paralysis itself. I've had dreamless sleep paralysis, and it had the same stomach dropping sense of dread and anxiety.